Everett police 'working tirelessly' to find suspect who stabbed 13-year-old
EVERETT, Wash. - The Everett Chief of Police tried to reassure neighbors in North Everett on Thursday night that officers were working hard to try to catch the stabbing suspect accused of injuring a 13-year-old as he was walking to school.
The meeting took place in the Delta Neighborhood, the same neighborhood where the stabbing happened at around 8 a.m. on Thursday.
What they're saying:
It was a packed meeting, with residents telling FOX 13 that they had questions about what is being done to find the suspect, and to voice concerns extending beyond the case to include shootings and other recent acts of violence in the area.
"Very thankful that this young boy is OK. He is in the hospital, but he will be OK," said John DeRousse, Everett Chief of Police, at the meeting Thursday night.
The chief told the audience that he personally helped with the manhunt to find the suspect in the stabbing on Thursday morning.
"We’ve been canvassing all day today. These are all hands on deck-type calls," he said. "Staff from the Everett police department have been working tirelessly all day to track down this person."
"I heard it go out over the radio, there was a lockdown of course," said Anthony Pardi, a bus driver contracted with the Everett School District and a parent of kids within the district.
"As a parent and a driver of other people’s children, I was extremely concerned," said Pardi.
He was hoping to learn more about what roles school resource officers play in the schools in Everett, and the policies to keep students safe.
"As a parent, I don’t allow my daughter to walk to school and that’s exactly what that student was doing today, trying to make his way to school," said Pardi.
The stabbing forced nearby North Middle School and Everett High School into lockdown. A parent sent this letter from administrators that read:
"A North Middle School student walked onto their campus this morning with apparent stab wounds and reported being assaulted off-campus on their way to school…
"School staff immediately called 911, provided care for the student, and ensured they were transported to the hospital…
"North Middle School initiated a lockout as the Everett Police Department searched for a suspect and, as a precautionary measure, Everett High School also went into a lockout."
Everett Police searching for person who stabbed 13-year-old boy
The Everett Police Department is looking to identify the person who stabbed a 13-year-old boy Thursday morning.
"We still have no idea why it occurred. This poor kid got attacked on the way to school, and we are going to try to figure it out," said Chief DeRousse.
Although some correspondence sent out by administrators also called the suspect an "adult," DeRousse says that is not the case. He says police currently don't know who the suspect is, or how old he is.
"Today I heard everything from teenage to mid-teens. I heard it all. It's hard to say," DeRousse said.
This stabbing comes on the heels of two other high-profile criminal cases that police have been investigating in the last few weeks.
Just over a week ago, FOX 13 also covered a fatal shooting in a neighborhood near Senator Henry M. Jackson Park.
Homicide investigation launched after shooting in Everett, WA
Police are investigating after a man was shot and killed in Everett Monday night.
"Can we expect some of the shootings to slow down at Jackson Park?," asked a local resident.
"Gosh I would hope so," said the chief.
Last month, two 17-year-olds were arrested and accused of tying a 14-year-old to a tree in Lions Park, then beating and stabbing him multiple times.
In this latest case, the chief is thankful the student escaped further injury.
"Survivable injuries. Could have been much worse. Thank god they weren’t," said DeRousse.
The chief told me tonight that the age of the suspect is still unclear, but the police are working on it. It's also unknown if a vehicle was used in the crime.
They're asking folks who live in the area of North Middle School to check their cameras to see if they captured a better image of the suspect or his movements.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Everett Police Department.
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